Patio Heaters and Chimineas: Keeping the Garden Usable After Dark

There's a particular sort of heartbreak that arrives at around 8pm on a clear British evening. The food's been eaten, the conversation's flowing, and then somebody shivers, somebody else fetches a jumper, and within twenty minutes everyone's drifted indoors. The garden — that lovely outdoor room you've poured money and weekends into — sits empty under the stars.

Outdoor heating is the fix, and it's a category that has quietly exploded. In the UK in 2026, electric infrared heaters dominate the market, but they're not automatically the right answer for every garden. Gas pyramids still pump out enormous warmth, and chimineas — both traditional clay and modern pellet-burning — offer something the others simply can't: an actual flame to gather around. Over the years I've stood shivering in front of underwhelming heaters and basked in front of brilliant ones, and the truth is that "best" depends entirely on what you're trying to do.

This guide pulls apart all three technologies — electric, gas and chiminea — and looks honestly at running cost, real-world warmth and that intangible quality I keep coming back to: cosiness. Let's work out what actually belongs on your patio.

The Three Technologies at a Glance

Before we get into specific models, it helps to understand what each type is fundamentally doing, because they heat in completely different ways.

Electric infrared heaters work like the sun — they emit radiant heat that warms objects and people directly rather than warming the air around them. That's why they feel effective outdoors where a fan heater would be useless: the breeze can't blow your warmth away because it's landing straight on your skin. They switch on instantly, make no noise, and most run up to maximum temperature in around ten minutes, taking roughly thirty to cool down.

Gas heaters — the familiar mushroom and pyramid silhouettes — burn propane or natural gas to produce serious raw heat output, with quality pyramid units pushing 48,000 to 50,000 BTU. They warm a wide radius and don't need a power socket nearby, but they're noisier than electric and you're forever wrangling gas bottles.

Chimineas are the romantics' choice. A proper wood-burning clay or cast iron chiminea gives you a contained, crackling fire — heat plus spectacle. Newer pellet-fired models bring efficiency to the format, but the appeal has always been the flame itself.

Electric Infrared: The Modern Default

If you've got an outdoor socket and you want fuss-free warmth at the flick of a switch, electric is hard to argue with. There's a model for every budget here, and the gap between the cheap and the premium options is mostly about coverage, smart features and build quality rather than the basic ability to make you warm.

The budget end

You don't need to spend much to get something usable. The Outdoor Revolution Electric Heater sits under £40 and holds a respectable 4.3-star rating across 176 reviews — it's the sort of thing that gets you through a chilly evening without ceremony. A step up, the Devola 2.4kW (DVPH2400B) lands at just under £120 and brings features genuinely comparable to premium names like Burda and Veito, which is impressive at the price.

The Devola 2.4kW in detail

This one deserves a closer look because it punches above its weight. The 2.4kW output (roughly 8,188 BTU) covers up to 25m², and it's properly specified for the British climate.

The high-level mirror aluminium reflector hits 90% reflectivity, which means more of the heat generated actually reaches you rather than being wasted. You get four power settings, an LED display, a remote, a 24-hour timer and thermostatic control between 5 and 45°C. There's also a PIR body sensor and child lock — thoughtful touches you'd usually expect to pay more for. At 97cm × 16cm × 8cm it's a slim wall-mountable bar; for reference it's 10cm wider than the 2kW model and 20cm wider than the 1.2kW.

The mid-range and premium tier

The Kettler Kalos Bergamo (£249–£299) is a lovely thing — a 2kW infrared heater with a stainless steel body, IP54 rating that lets it stay outside year-round, a built-in tilt stand and remote control. It delivers instant heat and, realistically, warms about 4m² well: think two people at a bistro table rather than a whole dining set. There's also a wall-mounted Devola 2000W at £89.99 with an IP65 rating and WiFi.

At the top sit the architectural options. The Heatstrip Max Electric 3200W (€450–€550) is a wall or ceiling-mounted infrared unit heating a 3–4 metre radius, rated IP55 with a remote included. The Bromic Tungsten Electric Smart (€500–€650) adds WiFi smart control via an app for those who want to fire up the patio from the sofa.

Gas Heaters: Raw Power and No Cables

When you need to warm a bigger group, or you simply don't have a socket within reach, gas remains a heavyweight. The familiar pyramid and mushroom heaters generate far more raw heat than any domestic electric unit, and that wide radius makes them the natural choice for a busy patio full of people.

The mainstream pyramid models

The Westinghouse Outdoor Pyramid puts out 48,000 BTU and is sensibly engineered: electric pulse ignition, a variable gas control valve, an automatic shut-off device and an anti-tilt switch, all CSA approved. It rides on wheels for portability, sits on high-quality aluminium legs, and uses tall quartz glass built to resist thermal shock. The East Oak Patio Heater matches that 48,000 BTU figure and claims an 18-foot radius with double-layer stainless steel mesh, whilst the East Oak 50,000 BTU pushes that to a claimed 20-foot radius.

The Outback Signature Pyramid

This one's a UK favourite for good reason. At £329–£399 it gives 13kW of output, enough to warm a 4-metre radius in still conditions, and stands a commanding 2.2m tall. The build quality genuinely impresses — excellent welding and powder coating — but the showpiece is that satisfying blue-flame tube running up the middle, visible from inside and providing exactly the visual warmth that flameless electric heaters lack. For those wanting a more architectural fixture, the Sunglo Natural Gas Hanging Heater offers 50,000 BTU with 24-volt semi-automatic ignition and a stainless steel build.

The truth about coverage claims

Here's where I have to be honest, because gas manufacturers tend to oversell. Real-world temperature testing on quality propane units tells a sobering story. At 1 foot from the heater you'll see an average temperature increase of around 12.73°F. By 4 feet that's dropped to roughly 3.48°F above ambient. And at 8 feet? Barely 0.5°F warmer than the surrounding air — which is to say, essentially nothing.

The practical takeaway: quality propane units provide good warmth within about a 7-foot radius, not the 12–15 feet often advertised. Plan your seating with that 7-foot figure in mind and you'll never be disappointed. Cluster your chairs close, and a single pyramid does a fine job.

One more practical point: propane heaters are noticeably noisier than electric ones. That low roar of the burner is part of the gas experience, and whether it bothers you depends on how much you value quiet conversation.

Chimineas: For the Love of the Flame

Now we come to my sentimental favourite. No infrared bar or gas burner gives you what a chiminea does — a real, contained fire to gather around, the crackle of wood, the dance of flame. If "cosiness" is top of your wish list, this is the category to start in.

Traditional wood-burning

The entry point is gloriously affordable. The La Hacienda Leon sits under £70, stands 110cm tall with a handsome bronze-effect finish, and has earned 4.1 stars across 422 ratings — a deserved bestseller. Clay models step up in size and price: a 49-inch-tall clay chiminea such as the Harward runs £250–£500. If you want something that'll outlive you, cast iron is the durable choice — a 55-inch-tall cast iron model weighs around 170 pounds, which is as much a feature as a drawback, since that mass radiates heat beautifully once it's up to temperature.

The modern pellet chiminea

If the romance of wood appeals but the faff of logs doesn't, the Even Embers Pellet Chiminea is a clever middle path. It burns hardwood pellets from a 25 lb hopper and produces 70,000 total BTU, heating 100+ square feet — that's roughly twice the heat of a traditional propane heater. Because it heats from the ground up and burns efficiently, it saves up to 75% on fuel cost compared to propane. There's an adjustable pellet flow system running low to high, and a genuinely welcome easy two-step ash cleanout system. For a flame-loving heater that won't bleed your wallet dry every evening, it's a strong shout.

There's also the Uniflame Steel Chiminea, a black iron wood-burner measuring 20"L × 20"W × 63"H and weighing 27.1 lb — far lighter than cast iron and easier to reposition, though steel won't retain heat the way that hefty cast iron does.

Head to Head: Electric vs Gas vs Chiminea

Here's how the three technologies stack up across the things that actually matter when you're standing in your garden at dusk deciding what to buy.

Running Cost and Efficiency

This is where the decision often gets made, and the honest answer is that each technology wins on a different metric. Electric infrared is the most controllable — you only pay for the minutes you run it, with no wasted fuel warming an empty garden, and thermostats plus timers help keep that tight. The downside is that electricity isn't cheap, and a 2.4kW unit running all evening adds up.

Gas gives you the most heat for the money in raw terms, but you're buying and swapping propane bottles, and a chunk of that heat sails past your guests if your seating is more than seven feet from the unit. The pellet chiminea is the efficiency surprise here: heating from the ground up and burning hardwood pellets, the Even Embers saves up to 75% on fuel cost versus a traditional propane heater whilst producing roughly twice the heat. If you're going to use your outdoor heater frequently and want flame, that's a compelling running-cost argument.

Which Should You Buy?

Rather than crown one universal winner, let me match each technology to the people it actually suits, because that's how this decision really works.

Our Ratings

Scoring three different technologies on a single scale is inherently imperfect, but here's how each performs against the criteria that matter for keeping the garden usable after dark.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Verdict